A study by Appt found that 50% of iOS users and 72% of Android users in the Netherlands have one or more accessibility features enabled on their phones. These are striking figures, and it’s reasonable to assume similar patterns exist across other countries.
Too often, people with disabilities are wrongly perceived as a small minority. In reality, an estimated 1.3 billion people worldwide live with significant disabilities. Here in the UK, almost 1 in 4 working-age adults have at least one disability. These numbers highlight why accessibility cannot be treated as optional.
What makes the Appt findings especially interesting is that assistive technologies are being used far beyond those who depend on them daily. Many people choose accessibility features for convenience, comfort, or to address temporary or situational needs. For example, research by Stagetext in 2021 revealed that 4 out of 5 people aged 18–25 regularly use subtitles; not because they are hard of hearing, but because subtitles make content easier to follow in noisy environments or when multitasking.
This shows that accessibility benefits everyone. Whether it’s larger text for tired eyes, voice control for hands-free use or captions for clarity, for many, assistive technologies are part of everyday life.
Yet, when you enable one of these settings, you quickly discover how inconsistent and fragile the Web can be. Broken functionality, poor support, and inaccessible design are still far too common. As someone who browses the Web with increased text size (according to Appt's research, 26% of people do), this is unfortunately my lived experience.
That’s why it’s essential that we design, build and test apps and websites with accessibility in mind. Accessibility isn’t just about compliance, it’s about creating a web that works for all.
The numbers speak for themselves: accessibility is not a niche concern. It’s the foundation of an inclusive, usable, and resilient web.